CJ Sapong was scoring goals in MLS three years prior to the cutoff of this series, including his 2011 Rookie of the Year campaign. He is now on his fifth club in the league, currently playing for Toronto FC. To begin his career, Sapong was drafted No. 10 overall by Sporting Kansas City following a 37 goal, 21 assist career for James Madison University. Although his debut did not fall within the last 10 years, it wouldn't be right to not mention Sapong's first MLS goal, less than two minutes into his debut. His SKC career finished at the conclusion of the 2014 season, when he was traded to the Philadelphia Union in exchange for a first-round SuperDraft pick.
CJ Sapong took on a new role in Philly, as a number nine. He was previously playing mostly on the wing. While he was not the most consistent scorer on a match to match basis, he found success striking for the Union. During his first season there, he netted 9 goals, all coming in separate matches. He followed it up with a respectable 7 more in 2016. On March 20th, Sapong kicked off the season with a brace in a 3-0 win over New England Revolution. After a solid first two years in Philadelphia, Sapong wanted more.
In the 2017 MLS season, Sapong broke out. With his 16 goals, he broke the Union's goal single-season goal scoring record (now held by Daniel Gazdag with 22). He scored in three of the first four games of the season, including three consecutive matches with a goal. On May 6th, CJ Sapong bagged a hat trick against the New York Red Bulls. The first came from a brutally unfortunate deflection from RBNY, the second was a tidy headed finish, and the third was a slotted penalty after 85'. For the remainder of the season, Sapong found some staggered goals in bunches. In the very last game of the Union's 2017 season, he topped the impressive season off with another brace.
He ultimately did not find the same form in 2018, scoring just 1/4 of his goals the previous season. After the season, Philly traded Sapong to the Chicago Fire in exchange for up to $450K in GAM. While he only spent one real season with the Fire due to 2020's events, Chicago was Sapong's most effective goal scoring location. He scored a total of 15 goals in 43 appearances, which is just about a goal every three games on average. His contract expired with Chicago at the end of 2020, forcing him to find a new home once again.
Just before the 2021 season kicked off, Nashville SC became CJ Sapong's newest club. For two full seasons, he led the line for Hany Mukhtar's side, and did a decent job doing so. He assisted 5 goals in each of his two completed seasons in Nashville, tied for a single-season career high. Sapong once again showcased his ability to score in bunches, snatching braces on three separate occasions during 2021. After 17 goals in 74 appearances, it was time for Sapong to make his latest move. Now at the experienced age of 34 years old, Sapong moved in another trade, joining Toronto FC in exchange for Lukas MacNaughton and up to $200K in GAM. Sapong scored his lone goal of the season in his TFC debut. Richie Laryea, now on Vancouver, got down the wing and played a low cross to Sapong for an easy tap in.
At this point in time, Sapong is viewed as a start-able depth piece for the last-placed in the Eastern Conference Toronto FC. He was a locked in starter directly after the trade, but has only started on one occasion since Leagues Cup. Will TFC be Sapong's final spot in MLS? Only time will tell. What we do know is that Sapong has been scoring in MLS for quite some time, placing him at #97.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2023 | TFC/NSH | 1,545* | 1* | 0* |
2022 | NSH | 2,480 | 5 | 5 |
2021 | NSH | 2,225 | 12 | 5 |
2020 | CHI | 472 | 2 | 0 |
2019 | CHI | 2,551 | 13 | 2 |
2018 | PHI | 2,321 | 4 | 3 |
2017 | PHI | 2,794 | 16 | 5 |
2016 | PHI | 2,535 | 7 | 2 |
2015 | PHI | 1,897 | 9 | 4 |
2014 | SKC | 811 | 2 | 0 |
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